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	<title>Stock Blog Hub &#187; Property &amp; Casualty Insurance</title>
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		<title>(AIG) American International Group Denied Intervening in Bank of America Deal</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/04/27/aig-american-international-group-denied-intervening-in-bank-of-america-deal/99660</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/04/27/aig-american-international-group-denied-intervening-in-bank-of-america-deal/99660#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:26:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American International Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BK]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BlackRock Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BLK]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MET]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MetLife Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=99660</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On Tuesday, as reported by Reuters, American International Group Inc.&#8216;s (AIG) attempts to intervene in Bank of America Corporation&#8216;s (BAC) $8.5 billion mortgage bond settlement case were spurned. New York state Supreme Court Justice Barbara Kapnick not only dismissed the allegations of AIG, but also of the other investors. Reasons Behind AIG’s Opposition Along with a group of investors, AIG had earlier opposed BofA’s deal, citing the settlement as substantially inadequate. They wanted the settlement deal to come under Article 77, a special proceeding under which the scope of inquiry would amplify in the form of plenary action. According to AIG, conversion of the settlement case into limited proceeding will provide the investors with a chance to scrutinize and consider whether the compensation offered to them by BofA was sufficient ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/04/27/aig-american-international-group-denied-intervening-in-bank-of-america-deal/99660/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(HIG) Hartford Financial Services Group Refunds Premiums &#8211; Cuts Rate</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/04/22/hig-hartford-financial-services-group-refunds-premiums-cuts-rate/99405</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/04/22/hig-hartford-financial-services-group-refunds-premiums-cuts-rate/99405#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 22 Apr 2012 17:29:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American International Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hartford Financial Services Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MET]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MetLife Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Miller Industries Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MLR]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=99405</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. (HIG) has agreed to refund premiums worth $24 million to its accidental death and dismemberment policyholders in New York, according to Reuters. The refund pertains to the minimum medical loss ratio (MLR) provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The New York Department of Financial Services said that the company reached a settlement with the state regulators after failing to meet the minimum MLR requirement. MLR is the ratio of total loss incurred in claims plus adjustment expenses to total premium earned. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires insurance companies to spend a minimum stipulated percentage of premiums earned on payment of claims. In case the insurer fails to do so, it is required to refund the difference between the actual ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/04/22/hig-hartford-financial-services-group-refunds-premiums-cuts-rate/99405/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(HALL) Hallmark Financial Services Sees Rating Action</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/04/16/hall-hallmark-financial-services-sees-rating-action/97749</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/04/16/hall-hallmark-financial-services-sees-rating-action/97749#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:16:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Flagstone Reinsurance Holdings Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FSR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HALL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hallmark Financial Services Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hartford Financial Services Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Markel Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MKL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Travelers Companies Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TRV]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=97749</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A.M. Best reiterated the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “bbb-” on Hallmark Financial Services Inc. (HALL). Concurrently, the rating agency also reiterated financial strength rating (FSR) of A- (Excellent) and ICR of “a-” of Hallmark Insurance Group and its operating subsidiaries. The outlook remains stable. The rating affirmations of Hallmark Insurance Group and its operating subsidiaries came on the back of the strong risk-adjusted capitalization, moderate operational performance over the five years and financial support provided by Hallmark Financial. The strong risk-adjusted capitalization stemmed from impressive investment income, capital gains and other incomes, though underwriting loss somewhat muted the positives. The rating agency also noted that Hallmark Group remains focused on expanding its exposure to less competitive markets in an effort to enhance its operational performance. However, acquisition integration risks ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/04/16/hall-hallmark-financial-services-sees-rating-action/97749/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(HTH) Hilltop Holdings Incorporated &#8211; Bull of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/28/hth-hilltop-holdings-incorporated-bull-of-the-day-4/96858</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/28/hth-hilltop-holdings-incorporated-bull-of-the-day-4/96858#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:45:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hilltop Holdings Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HTH]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=96858</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We are upgrading our recommendation on Hilltop Holdings, Inc. (HTH) to Outperform based on its fourth quarter earnings that modestly surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate, based on a higher-than-expected top line that benefited from improved premiums, investment income and net realized gain coupled with lower-than-expected expenses. Hilltop&#8217;s capital position remains sound along with a risk-free balance sheet that lays scope for efficient capital deployment. This is also evident from the new share buyback program, fostering shareholders&#8217; confidence in the stock. Overall, Hilltop should continue to tread ahead with its strategic approach in order to capitalize on the opportunities that the markets provide on stabilization. Our six-month price target is $10.00 per share, reflecting about 0.8x our book value estimate of $12.33 per share at September 30, 2012. This target price ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/28/hth-hilltop-holdings-incorporated-bull-of-the-day-4/96858/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(XL) XL Group Plc &#8211; Bear of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/26/xl-xl-group-plc-bear-of-the-day/96550</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/26/xl-xl-group-plc-bear-of-the-day/96550#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 26 Mar 2012 17:38:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[XL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[XL Capital Limited]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=96550</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We have downgraded our recommendation on XL Group Plc (XL) to Underperform from Neutral based on the weak fourth quarter performance. The company posted a loss, comparing unfavorably with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. XL delivered lower numbers largely due to higher catastrophe losses, lower levels of positive prior-year loss development and higher tax expenses. A soft property and casualty environment will continue to restrict top-line growth. Moreover, the current interest rate environment and exposure to the credit market will hurt investment income to some extent. Our six-month price target of $20.00 per share equates to about 10.8x our earnings estimate for 2012. Combined with the $0.44 per share annual dividend, this target price implies an expected total negative return of 7.1% over that period. This is consistent with our Underperform ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/26/xl-xl-group-plc-bear-of-the-day/96550/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(HIG) Stressed Hartford Financial Services Group Announces Split</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/23/hig-stressed-hartford-financial-services-group-announces-split/96343</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/23/hig-stressed-hartford-financial-services-group-announces-split/96343#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 23 Mar 2012 19:07:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American International Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Flagstone Reinsurance Holdings Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FSR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GHL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goldman Sachs Group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Greenhill & Co Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hartford Financial Services Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MET]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MetLife Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PRU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Prudential Financial Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=96343</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[After resisting its largest shareholder, John Paulson’s incessant pressure for almost two months, Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. (HIG) finally gave in to the demands of segregating its life insurance and property and casualty (P&#38;C) businesses on Wednesday. Consequently, the company is on the lookout for suitable divestiture opportunities for its Individual Life and Retirement Plans segments along with Woodbury Financial Services. Woodbury is an indirectly-held, wholly-owned retail broker-dealer subsidiary, included in the Individual Life segment’s distribution network. Hartford has hired The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) and Greenhill &#38; Co. Inc. (GHL) as financial advisors for the same but expects the divestitures to take about two years. The company has also decided to terminate its Individual Annuity business, which offers individual variable, fixed market value adjusted (fixed MVA), fixed ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/23/hig-stressed-hartford-financial-services-group-announces-split/96343/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AIG) Lehman Brothers Exits Bankruptcy: Good Days Ahead?</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/23/aig-lehman-brothers-exits-bankruptcy-good-days-ahead/96312</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/23/aig-lehman-brothers-exits-bankruptcy-good-days-ahead/96312#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 23 Mar 2012 19:06:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American International Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Barclays plc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BCS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goldman Sachs Group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Morgan Stanley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NMR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nomura Holdings Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wells Fargo & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WFC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=96312</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Big News: Disgraced investment banking giant Lehman Brothers, which was first in line among the Wall Street’s bellwethers to collapse, announced its emergence from bankruptcy earlier this month. The Immediate Question: Is this an indication of strong economic recovery? The Answer (According to us): The collapse of Lehman was the starting point of the recession. On that count, a hopeful mind might believe that its revival should accelerate the pace of economic recovery. However, the equation is not so simple. We believe the lingering fundamental challenges will not allow the economic growth to return to its pre-recession level anytime soon. Fall of Lehman &#38; the Weary Banks Turning back the pages, Lehman once boasted being the fourth-largest investment bank in the U.S. with operations in more than 40 countries ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/23/aig-lehman-brothers-exits-bankruptcy-good-days-ahead/96312/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AIG) American International Group Raises $2 Billion from Note Offerings</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/22/aig-american-international-group-raises-2-billion-from-note-offerings/96081</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/22/aig-american-international-group-raises-2-billion-from-note-offerings/96081#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:03:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American International Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPMorgan Chase & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MCO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MET]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MetLife Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Moody's Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RBS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Us Bancorp]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[USB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wells Fargo & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WFC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=96081</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On Monday, American International Group Inc. (AIG) issued long-term notes worth $2 billion in a two-part offering, according to Thomson Reuters. Accordingly, one fraction of senior unsecured notes is valued at $1.25 billion. These notes were issued at a price of $99.797 and dated to mature on March 20, 2017.  These callable five-year fixed rate notes are projected to have a spread of 265 basis points (bps) over the US Treasuries, while bearing a coupon rate of 3.8% and yield rate of 3.845%. Besides, the second tranche of senior unsecured notes is worth $750 million. These notes were issued at a price of $99.844 and dated to mature on March 20, 2015.  These three-year fixed rate notes are projected to have a spread of 245 bps over the US Treasuries, ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/22/aig-american-international-group-raises-2-billion-from-note-offerings/96081/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(L) Loews Corporation &#8211; Bear of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/21/l-loews-corporation-bear-of-the-day/96004</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/21/l-loews-corporation-bear-of-the-day/96004#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:56:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[L]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Loews Corporation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=96004</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We have downgraded Loews Corporation (L) to Underperform from Neutral on the back of weak fourth quarter results. Operating earnings in the fourth quarter lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate owing to lower investment income from limited partnership, increase in insurance reserves for its payout annuity business, lower earnings at Diamond Offshore and weak performance of equity investments. Results at HighMount remained soft due to lower sales volume stemming from lower drilling activity and lower natural gas prices. CNA has substantial exposure to catastrophe losses. Losses in the fourth quarter totaled $208 million, a substantial deterioration from $113 million a year ago. Our six-month target price of $35.00 per share equates to about 12.1x our 2012 earnings estimate. This price target along with the annual dividend of $0.25 per share implies ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/21/l-loews-corporation-bear-of-the-day/96004/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(HTH) Hilltop Holdings Incorporated &#8211; Bull of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/20/hth-hilltop-holdings-incorporated-bull-of-the-day-3/95898</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/20/hth-hilltop-holdings-incorporated-bull-of-the-day-3/95898#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:44:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hilltop Holdings Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HTH]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=95898</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We are upgrading our recommendation on Hilltop Holdings, Inc. (HTH) to Outperform based on its fourth quarter earnings that modestly surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate, based on a higher-than-expected top line that benefited from improved premiums, investment income and net realized gain coupled with lower-than-expected expenses. Hilltop&#8217;s capital position remains sound along with a risk-free balance sheet that lays scope for efficient capital deployment. This is also evident from the new share buyback program, fostering shareholders&#8217; confidence in the stock. Overall, Hilltop should continue to tread ahead with its strategic approach in order to capitalize on the opportunities that the markets provide on stabilization. Our six-month price target is $10.00 per share, reflecting about 0.8x our book value estimate of $12.33 per share at September 30, 2012. This target price ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/20/hth-hilltop-holdings-incorporated-bull-of-the-day-3/95898/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(XL) XL Group Plc &#8211; Bear of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/19/xl-xl-group-plc-bear-of-the-day-2/95661</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/19/xl-xl-group-plc-bear-of-the-day-2/95661#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Mar 2012 02:15:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[XL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[XL Capital Limited]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=95661</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We are downgrading our recommendation on XL Group Plc (XL) to Underperform from Neutral based on the weak fourth quarter performance. The company posted a loss, comparing unfavorably with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. XL delivered lower numbers largely due to higher catastrophe losses, lower levels of positive prior-year loss development and higher tax expenses. A soft property and casualty environment will continue to restrict top-line growth. Moreover, the current interest rate environment and exposure to the credit market will hurt investment income to some extent. Our six-month price target of $20.00 per share equates to about 10.8x our earnings estimate for 2012. Combined with the $0.44 per share annual dividend, this target price implies an expected total negative return of 7.1% over that period. This is consistent with our Underperform ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/19/xl-xl-group-plc-bear-of-the-day-2/95661/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AIG) American International Group to Sell About 13% Stake in AIA</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/06/aig-american-international-group-to-sell-about-13-stake-in-aia/94366</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/06/aig-american-international-group-to-sell-about-13-stake-in-aia/94366#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Mar 2012 22:00:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American International Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Deutsche Bank AG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goldman Sachs Group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iShares S&P Asia 50 Index]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MET]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MetLife Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=94366</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In an attempt to repay the government bailout loan, American International Group Inc. (AIG) disclosed its plans earlier today to raise funds from the part-sale of its left over one-third stake in its Asian wing – AIA Group Limited (AIA). According to Reuters and Bloomberg, AIG is looking forward to selling nearly approximately 1.7 billion shares in AIA at about 7% discount to the latter’s closing price of HK$29.20 on Friday, at the Hong Kong stock exchange, to raise over $6 billion. While the shares will be priced no later than tomorrow, AIG’s share in AIA was worth $15 billion at last week’s closing price. Meanwhile, all the shares will be sold among the institutional investors through private placement, although they remain unnamed. AIG will still hold about 19% of ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BRKA) Three Formulas for Finding Value Stocks</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/02/14/brka-three-formulas-for-finding-value-stocks/91511</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/02/14/brka-three-formulas-for-finding-value-stocks/91511#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:40:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>InvestmentU</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Berkshire Hathaway]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRKA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CSX]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CSX Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Norfolk Southern Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NSC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Union Pacific Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United Parcel Service Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UNP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UPS]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=91511</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Despite positive news lately, there’s a lot going on in the markets right now, and it isn’t good. The most terrifying aspect of all is that the doom and gloom is spread worldwide. Europe is a mess right now. Two of its four largest economies teeter on disaster. Meanwhile, Greece is the troubled teenager who knows he needs to get his act together but continues to find himself in bad situations. Germany and France are still experiencing menial growth… Eurozone authorities recognize there’s a problem, but it may be a too little too late. Then the United States has its own problems. Our Central Bank has come under fire for its “quantitative easing” monetary policy, which was primarily ineffective. Its latest initiative of flattening the yield curve may prove detrimental ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/02/14/brka-three-formulas-for-finding-value-stocks/91511/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(PRA) ProAssurance Corporation &#8211; Bull of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/02/14/pra-proassurance-corporation-bull-of-the-day/91656</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/02/14/pra-proassurance-corporation-bull-of-the-day/91656#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:41:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PRA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ProAssurance Corporation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=91656</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We are upgrading our recommendation on ProAssurance Corp. (PRA) to Outperform, based on the company&#8217;s premium growth, stable ratings and improved ROE. The company&#8217;s third-quarter earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate on the back of higher premiums. Consequently, operating cash flow and assets also improved, driving the book value of shares upward and leading to initiation of a cash dividend. Higher operating cash flow is also likely to translate into enhanced operating leverage and excess capital generation for share repurchases. We believe the benefits of geographic diversity, aggressive claims defense and strong financial position are likely to have a positive impact over time. Our six-month target price of $101.00 per share equates to about 14.8x our earnings estimate for 2011. Combined with the $1.00 per share annual dividend, this target ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/02/14/pra-proassurance-corporation-bull-of-the-day/91656/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(PNX) Insurance Industry Stock Update &#8211; February 2012 &#8211; Industry Outlook</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/02/13/pnx-insurance-industry-stock-update-february-2012-industry-outlook/91567</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/02/13/pnx-insurance-industry-stock-update-february-2012-industry-outlook/91567#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:36:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ACE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ACE Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American International Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Amerisafe Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AMSF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Axis Capital Holdings Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CINF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cinnati Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Endurance Specialty Holdings Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ENH]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HMN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Horace Mann Educators Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[L]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Loews Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Manulife Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Markel Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Meadowbrook Insurance Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MET]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MetLife Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MFC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MGIC Investment Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MKL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MTG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OneBeacon Insurance Group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PGR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Phoenix Companies Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PNX]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PRA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ProAssurance Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Progressive Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PRU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Prudential Financial Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RenaissanceRe Holdings Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RNR]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=91567</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The impact of a series of natural disasters in 2011 and the ongoing economic uncertainty is still quite palpable in the performance of U.S. insurers. These impediments aside, there are fundamental challenges that are expected to come in the way insurers’ efforts to meet growing investor expectations in the upcoming quarters. Among the possible way outs of such difficulties, rising rates and pricing flexibility are primary. The overall health of the U.S. insurance industry has improved to some extent in the recent quarters, after enduring pricing pressures and reduced insured exposure for quite some time. The market turmoil resulting from the Great Recession forced many companies to take immense write-downs, but those memories are fast becoming a thing of the past. That said, continued soft market conditions, shrinking businesses, a ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(MRH) Montpelier Re Holdings &#8211; Bear of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/02/10/mrh-montpelier-re-holdings-bear-of-the-day-4/91505</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/02/10/mrh-montpelier-re-holdings-bear-of-the-day-4/91505#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:09:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Montpelier Re Holdings Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MRH]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=91505</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We are downgrading Montpelier Re Holdings (MRH) to Underperform from Neutral based on the company&#8217;s expectation of incurring operating losses in the fourth quarter. The current pricing environment in the primary insurance market and the stressed economy are expected to restrict top-line growth. Montpelier has guided fourth-quarter 2011 net operating loss in the range of $0.25-$0.35 per share. Montpelier&#8217;s fourth quarter loss guidance includes an adverse impact of $40 million arising from floods in Thailand, an adverse impact of $26 million from catastrophe losses and also takes into account favorable prior year loss reserve development of $18 million. Our six-month target price is $16.00. This price target along with the annual dividend of $0.42 implies a negative return of 10.3% over that period. This is consistent with our Underperform rating. ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/02/10/mrh-montpelier-re-holdings-bear-of-the-day-4/91505/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AIG) American International Group Upped to Neutral</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/01/14/aig-american-international-group-upped-to-neutral/89621</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/01/14/aig-american-international-group-upped-to-neutral/89621#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:33:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American International Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iShares S&P Asia 50 Index]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MET]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MetLife Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PRU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Prudential Financial Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=89621</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last week, we upgraded our recommendation on American International Group Inc. (AIG) to Neutral from Underperform based on its improving capital flexibility. Besides, asset disposals and repayment of a chunk of debt appears to be favorable for the new stock buyback program. AIG reported third quarter operating loss per share of $1.60, which came in way higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $0.08 and $0.84 reported in the year-ago quarter. Consequently, operating loss of $3.0 billion increased drastically from $114 million in the year-ago quarter. Results reflected weak performance across all operating segments based on the challenging macro economic environment. Though AIG has been able to head off a collapse by getting government bailout, it continues to face significant threat to its business model, customer base ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/01/14/aig-american-international-group-upped-to-neutral/89621/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(HTH) Hilltop Holdings Incorporated &#8211; Bull of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/01/13/hth-hilltop-holdings-incorporated-bull-of-the-day-2/89928</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/01/13/hth-hilltop-holdings-incorporated-bull-of-the-day-2/89928#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:11:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hilltop Holdings Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HTH]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=89928</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We are upgrading our recommendation on Hilltop Holdings Inc. (HTH) to Outperform based on its sound capital position along with a risk-free balance sheet, which also paved way for resumption of share buybacks, assisting shareholders&#8217; confidence in the stock. The company broke even in the third quarter but surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss and beat the year-ago results. The stability was driven by a higher-than-expected top line that benefited from improved premiums, investment income and net realized gains. However, expenses escalated on higher loss adjusted and underwriting expenses that even deteriorated the combined ratio and resulted in operating cash outflow. Overall, Hilltop should continue to tread ahead with its strategic approach in order to capitalize on the opportunities that the markets provide on stabilization. Our six-month price ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/01/13/hth-hilltop-holdings-incorporated-bull-of-the-day-2/89928/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(HTH) Hilltop Holdings Incorporated &#8211; Bull of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/01/09/hth-hilltop-holdings-incorporated-bull-of-the-day/89879</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/01/09/hth-hilltop-holdings-incorporated-bull-of-the-day/89879#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:45:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hilltop Holdings Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HTH]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=89879</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We are upgrading our recommendation on Hilltop Holdings Inc. (HTH) to Outperform based on its sound capital position along with a risk-free balance sheet, which also paved way for resumption of share buybacks, assisting shareholders&#8217; confidence in the stock. The company broke even in the third quarter but surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss and beat the year-ago results. The stability was driven by a higher-than-expected top line that benefited from improved premiums, investment income and net realized gains. However, expenses escalated on higher loss adjusted and underwriting expenses that even deteriorated the combined ratio and resulted in operating cash outflow. Overall, Hilltop should continue to tread ahead with its strategic approach in order to capitalize on the opportunities that the markets provide on stabilization. Our six-month price ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/01/09/hth-hilltop-holdings-incorporated-bull-of-the-day/89879/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(CINF) Cincinnati Financial Ratings Updated by A.M Best</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/29/cinf-cincinnati-financial-ratings-updated-by-a-m-best/89379</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/29/cinf-cincinnati-financial-ratings-updated-by-a-m-best/89379#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:55:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capital Senior Living Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CINF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cinnati Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CSU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Flagstone Reinsurance Holdings Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FSR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Harleysville Group Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HGIC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Selective Insurance Group Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SIGI]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=89379</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As a part of its annual rating review, rating agency A.M. Best declared its rating action on Cincinnati Financial Corp. (CINF) and its operating subsidiaries. The agency has downgraded the issuer credit rating (“ICR”) as well as the debt rating of Cincinnati Financial by one notch to “a-“ from “a”. It also downgraded the issuer credit rating of the Cincinnati Insurance Companies (“CIC”) to “aa-“ from “aa” while affirming  the financial strength rating (“FSR”) of “A+”. A.M.Best made a downward revision of the ICR of CIC on account of the weak operating results posted by the company over the recent years. CIC’s geographic concentration ties its performance to business, economic, environmental and regulatory conditions in certain states. Though the company markets its property casualty insurance products in 39 states, its ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AIG) American International Group ILFC to Raise $650 Million from Notes</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/21/aig-american-international-group-ilfc-to-raise-650-million-from-notes/89021</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/21/aig-american-international-group-ilfc-to-raise-650-million-from-notes/89021#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:10:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American International Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Barclays plc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BCS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Deutsche Bank AG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goldman Sachs Group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPMorgan Chase & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MCO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Moody's Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Morgan Stanley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UBS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UBS AG]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=89021</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yesterday, American International Group Inc.’s (AIG) aircraft leasing unit – International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) – announced the issue of long term notes worth $650 million. Accordingly, the unsecured notes of $650 million are issued at an initial price of $100.00 and are scheduled to mature on January 15, 2022.  The non-callable notes are projected to have a coupon rate of 8.625%, while the spread stands at 681.5 basis points (bps). Besides, the settlement is scheduled to be over on December 22, 2011. Rating agencies Moody’s Investors Service of Moody’s Corp. (MCO) and Standards &#38; Poors’ (S&#38;P) have rated the notes “B1” and “BBB-”, respectively. Further, AIG’s ILFC appointedCitigroup Global Markets Inc. of Citigroup Inc. (C), Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS), Morgan Stanley (MS), Bank of American Merrill Lynch of ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(HIG) Hartford Financial Services Group Vends Private Placement Unit</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/07/hig-hartford-financial-services-group-vends-private-placement-unit/88169</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/07/hig-hartford-financial-services-group-vends-private-placement-unit/88169#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:52:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CenterState Banks Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CSFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Evercore Partners Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EVR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EXLS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Exlservice Holdings Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hartford Financial Services Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reinsurance Group of America Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RGA]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=88169</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yesterday, Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. (HIG) announced an agreement to sell its subsidiary Hartford Life Private Placement (HLPP) to Philadelphia Financial Group Inc. for $117.5 million. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and closing conditions and is expected to culminate in 2012. The purchase deal will be financed by Reinsurance Group of America Inc. (RGA), while Evercore Partners Inc. (EVR) acted as the financial advisors to Philadelphia Financial. HLPP is an insurance and wealth management service provider for businesses and ultra-high net worth individuals. It also administers corporate and bank-owned life insurance policies and runs institutionally owned group annuity contracts. After the completion of the deal, Philadelphia Financial will handle the private placement insurance business worth $35 billion that is currently serviced by HLPP. Additionally, all the existing ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/07/hig-hartford-financial-services-group-vends-private-placement-unit/88169/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BRKB) Berkshire Hathaway-B (BRKB) &#8211; Bull of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/02/brkb-berkshire-hathaway-b-brkb-bull-of-the-day/87947</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/02/brkb-berkshire-hathaway-b-brkb-bull-of-the-day/87947#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:29:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Berkshire Hathaway]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRKB]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=87947</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Berkshire Hathaway-B (BRKB) reported its third quarter 2011 operating earnings of $1.54 per share up 36% year-over-year, led by higher operating income across all the business segments except Finance &#38; Financial Products. Insurance, Railroad, Utilities and Energy, Manufacturing, Service and Retailing have performed well. Berkshire&#8217;s property and casualty insurance business has been the engine behind its growth. The company&#8217;s insurance business (which accounted for approximately 40% of its 2010 operating income) maintains capital strength at exceptionally high levels. Our six-month target price of $91.00 per share equates to about 13.2X our earnings estimate for 2011. This target price implies an expected total return of 17.0% over that period. This is consistent with our Outperform recommendation on the stock. BERKSHIRE HTH-B (BRKB): Free Stock Analysis Report Zacks Investment Research]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/02/brkb-berkshire-hathaway-b-brkb-bull-of-the-day/87947/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BRKA) Berkshire Hathaway&#8217;s Buffett Adds Hometown Newspaper</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/02/brka-berkshire-hathaways-buffett-adds-hometown-newspaper/87938</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/02/brka-berkshire-hathaways-buffett-adds-hometown-newspaper/87938#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:19:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Berkshire Hathaway]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRKA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRKB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CVS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CVS Caremark Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Directv Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DTV]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General Dynamics Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General Electric Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[IBM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INTC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Intel Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[International Business Machines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visa Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Washington Post Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WPO]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=87938</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On Wednesday, Warren Buffett, the Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRKA) (BRKB), announced an acquisition to buy The Omaha World-Herald Company, publisher of Nebraska’s principal daily newspaper. The deal would add the World-Herald, six other daily newspapers and several weekly newspapers to its current portfolio of media business, which includes Business Wire, Buffalo News and Washington Post Co. (WPO). Buffett is known for cherry-picking big businesses. This acumen has helped him to build a conglomerate of this behemoth size, which houses over 70 different businesses. Over decades, Berkshire has become a mature company, which generates substantial cash quarter after quarter, keeping Buffett on continuous hunt to seek attractive investments in order enhance stockholder value. In an effort to diversify its investment, Buffett focuses on a combination of both ]]></description>
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		<title>(RLI) RLI Corporation Continues Expansion</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/01/rli-rli-corporation-continues-expansion/87675</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/01/rli-rli-corporation-continues-expansion/87675#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:17:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ACE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ACE Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CNA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CNA Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RLI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RLI Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Travelers Companies Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TRV]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=87675</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[RLI Corp. (RLI) continues to benefit from its business expansion drive, extensive product offerings, strong local branch network and focus on specialty insurance lines. The company scores strongly with the rating agencies and remains focused on returning value to its shareholders through dividend increase and share buybacks. However, these positives are somewhat dwarfed by RLI Corp’s exposure to cat losses and pressurized Casualty segment. We thus remain Neutral on the company. RLI Corp. is one of the industry’s most profitable property-casualty writers with a strong local branch office network, broad range of product offerings, and focus on specialty insurance lines. Also, RLI Corp. remains focused on expanding its business with diversifying into new avenues. With business expanding, the company’s gross premium written increased almost 17%. Also, underwriting profits in the third ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/01/rli-rli-corporation-continues-expansion/87675/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(WRB) W.R. Berkley Corporation Upgraded to Neutral</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/01/wrb-w-r-berkley-corporation-upgraded-to-neutral/87679</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/01/wrb-w-r-berkley-corporation-upgraded-to-neutral/87679#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:58:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hartford Financial Services Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Travelers Companies Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TRV]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[W.R. Berkley Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Westar Energy Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WRB]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=87679</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We are upgrading our recommendation on W.R. Berkley Corp. (WRB) to Neutral from Underperform on the back of third-quarter earnings beat. The company reported earnings of 44 cents per share, 6 cents ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The outperformance stemmed from higher contribution from the International and Specialty segments. For three quarters in a row, Berkley has been witnessing a stable retention and a general rate hike. Also, the company has maintained the trend of premium growth for the past many quarters. During the third quarter, the company witnessed a 14% year-over-year growth in net premiums. The growth is, however, attributable mostly to start-up units. Since 2006, when the soft market cycle initiated, the company has made investments in 21 new business units to take advantage of the eventual ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(RNR) RenaissanceRe Shares Downgraded to Underperform</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/30/rnr-renaissancere-shares-downgraded-to-underperform/87729</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/30/rnr-renaissancere-shares-downgraded-to-underperform/87729#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:40:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ACE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ACE Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RenaissanceRe Holdings Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RNR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[XL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[XL Capital Limited]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=87729</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We have downgraded our recommendation on RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. (RNR) to Underperform from Neutral based on the company’s poor operating results in the third quarter, coupled with the declining interest rate scenario, which have also led to a reduced earnings outlook for the fourth quarter of 2011. RenaissanceRe reported third quarter operating income per share of 62 cents, lagging the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 84 cents and prior-year income of $1.59. Operating income showed a sharp decline to $32.7 million from $90.9 million reported in the year-ago quarter. Natural catastrophes have been impacting the profits of RenaissanceRe since 2008. During the first half of 2011, the company was severely hit by floods in Australia, earthquake in New Zealand, earthquake and tsunami in Japan and tornadoes in the U.S. These catastrophesmade ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/30/rnr-renaissancere-shares-downgraded-to-underperform/87729/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(PGR) Progressive Corporation Analyst Still Neutral on Shares</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/30/pgr-progressive-corporation-analyst-still-neutral-on-shares/87747</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/30/pgr-progressive-corporation-analyst-still-neutral-on-shares/87747#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:50:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ALL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Allstate Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PGR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Progressive Corporation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=87747</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Progressive Corp. (PGR) holds a dominant position in product, service and distribution innovation, especially in Personal Auto. The company continues to focus on customer retention, actively manage its capital position and return wealth to its shareholders. However, these positives are somewhat dwarfed by headwinds at its Commercial Auto businesses as well as higher combined ratio. We thus retain out Neutral recommendation on the company. Progressive is seen as a leader in product, service and distribution innovation. It is also a leader in underwriting technology and the application of quantitative analytics in pricing and risk selection. These attributes aid it in writing higher premiums. Net premiums written in the third quarter grew 4% with policies in force reporting growth of 5%. New businesses, higher premium per policy and customer retention helped ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/30/pgr-progressive-corporation-analyst-still-neutral-on-shares/87747/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>(AIG) TARP Continues to Recover Funds</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/28/aig-tarp-continues-to-recover-funds/87441</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/28/aig-tarp-continues-to-recover-funds/87441#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:59:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American International Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General Motors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GM]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=87441</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Treasury has added $12.2 million to its kitty by selling warrants in 17 Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) banks that have already repaid the bailout money. This indicates that the Treasury is clutching every opportunity to recoup the cost of the $700 billion bailout program that was initiated three years back to rescue the nation’s financial system. However, many of the institutions are yet to repay their TARP loans and the Treasury holds significant stakes in many of the rescued companies. This keeps the program far from wrapping up. Money Yet to Come Even after the sale of 200 million American International Group Inc. (AIG) shares in May, the Treasury still owns about 77% stake (down from 92%) in the company. Additionally, the Treasury owns about $11.3 billion AIG ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/28/aig-tarp-continues-to-recover-funds/87441/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(MRH) Montpelier Re Holdings &#8211; Bear of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/28/mrh-montpelier-re-holdings-bear-of-the-day-3/87584</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/28/mrh-montpelier-re-holdings-bear-of-the-day-3/87584#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:58:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Montpelier Re Holdings Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MRH]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=87584</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We are downgrading Montpelier Re Holdings (MRH) to Underperform from Neutral on the back of loss reported in the third quarter results. Montpelier Re Holdings&#8217; operating loss came in much wider than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, led by catastrophe losses, resulting from Hurricane Irene and the Texas wildfires, U.S. regional aggregate covers and July&#8217;s Danish floods. The loss ratio in the third quarter was 89% compared with 33.3% in the year-ago quarter. Results include $60 million of catastrophe losses partially offset by $18 million of favorable prior year loss reserve movements. The current pricing environment in the primary insurance market and the stressed economy are expected to restrict the top-line growth. Our six-month target price is $16.00. This price target along with the annual dividend of $0.40 implies a negative ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>(HIG) Hartford Financial Services Group &#8211; Bear of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/22/hig-hartford-financial-services-group-bear-of-the-day/87375</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/22/hig-hartford-financial-services-group-bear-of-the-day/87375#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:33:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hartford Financial Services Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HIG]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=87375</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We are downgrading our recommendation on Hartford Financial Services Group (HIG) to Underperform based on its weak third quarter results. The results surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate but declined from the year-ago quarter, primarily due to poor operating performance, with most segments reporting net losses or reduced income. Moreover, higher catastrophe losses coupled with decline in net investment income also contributed to the dismal performance. We remain concerned with the company&#8217;s variable annuities and rate declines amid the volatile economy. Our six-month target price of $16.00 per share equates to about 7.4x our earnings estimate for 2011. Combined with the $0.40 per share annual dividend, this target price implies an expected negative total return of 5.9% over that period. This is consistent with our Underperform recommendation on the shares. HARTFORD ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(BRKB) International Energy Agency Offers Sobering Outlook</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/12/brkb-international-energy-agency-offers-sobering-outlook/86949</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/12/brkb-international-energy-agency-offers-sobering-outlook/86949#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 12 Nov 2011 21:46:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ACE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ACE Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Baker Hughes Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Berkshire Hathaway]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BHI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRKB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CAT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Caterpillar Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FLR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fluor Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HAL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Halliburton Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joy Global Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JOYG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Schlumberger Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SLB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[XL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[XL Capital Limited]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=86949</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Not all the important news is centered on Greece and Italy. The International Energy Agency, or IEA, this week released its World Energy Outlook. The IEA is not some wild-eyed &#8220;peak oil/global warming&#8221; fringe group. They are about as mainstream and staid a group as you are going to find. The bullet points below come from the fact sheet associated with the report (see here). I comment on the implications, particularly the investment implications after each bullet point. Major events of the last year have had an impact on short- and medium-term energy trends, but have done little to quench the world’s increasing thirst for energy in the long term. The level and pattern of energy use worldwide varies markedly across the three scenarios in this year’s World Energy Outlook ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(TRV) The Travelers Companies Analyst Maintains Neutral on Shares</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/10/trv-the-travelers-companies-analyst-maintains-neutral-on-shares/86801</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/10/trv-the-travelers-companies-analyst-maintains-neutral-on-shares/86801#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:46:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hartford Financial Services Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Travelers Companies Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TRV]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[W.R. Berkley Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Westar Energy Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WRB]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=86801</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Travelers Companies Inc. (TRV) continues to benefit from its strong market position and economies of scale. The company spent a higher amount in buying back shares supported by its balance sheet strength. It also scores strongly with the credit rating agencies. However, these positives are somewhat dwarfed by the exposure to catastrophe losses and lower net investment income. We thus retain our Neutral recommendation on the company. Travelers has small and mid-sized commercial accounts focus, balanced personal lines book and its lack of exposure to large-account casualty business. Business Insurance continued to deliver positive trends in net written premiums on the back of larger exposure in auto premiums coupled with  a better rate. Also, retention and new business were at improved levels. The company also announced the offering of ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>(TWGP) Tower Group Misses on Catastrophic Losses</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/09/twgp-tower-group-misses-on-catastrophic-losses/86701</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/09/twgp-tower-group-misses-on-catastrophic-losses/86701#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 Nov 2011 16:49:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIZ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Assurant Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CINF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cinnati Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Chubb Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Travelers Companies Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tower Group Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TRV]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TWGP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[W.R. Berkley Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Westar Energy Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WRB]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=86701</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Property and casualty insurer Tower Group Inc.’s (TWGP) reported third quarter 2011 operating loss of 38 cents per share, substantially worse than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 17 cents. Results also contrasted unfavorably with the prior-year quarter&#8217;s earnings of 65 cents. Lower-than-expected results came on the back of a huge catastrophe charge of $39.1 million (after-tax), partly mitigated by higher revenues and a lower share count due to share buybacks. The New York-based company posted total revenue of $455.2 million, higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $421 million and also up 7.5% year over year, reflecting an increase in premiums written, higher net investment income, partially offset by lower net realized investment gains, and commission and fee income. Gross premiums written increased 16% year over year ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(AIG) American International Group &#8211; Bear of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/07/aig-american-international-group-bear-of-the-day-2/86617</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/07/aig-american-international-group-bear-of-the-day-2/86617#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:14:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American International Group Inc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=86617</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[American International Group&#8217;s (AIG) third-quarter loss came in significantly worse than the Zacks Consensus Estimate and year-ago quarter based on weak global cues, sluggish insurance dynamics and consistent cash outflow. Although some stability was witnessed in core operations, it failed to evade the book value per share reduction. The lock-in period for stock offering further holds back the attainment of capital flexibility in the near term. Higher restructuring charges and increasing losses from catastrophes, underwriting and investments along with adverse reserve developments are also negatively affecting the stock price. Asset disposals and repayment of a chunk of debt appears to be favorable for the new stock buyback program. AIG is poised to accentuate its operating and capital leverage upon dilution of government stake, though it is a far-fetched goal due ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AIG) American International Group Loss Soars on Weak Dynamics</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/06/aig-american-international-group-loss-soars-on-weak-dynamics/86539</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/06/aig-american-international-group-loss-soars-on-weak-dynamics/86539#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 06 Nov 2011 20:46:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American International Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CAT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Caterpillar Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iShares S&P Asia 50 Index]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MET]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MetLife Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PRU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Prudential Financial Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=86539</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[American International Group Inc. (AIG) reported third quarter operating loss per share of $1.60, which came in way higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 8 cents and 84 cents reported in the year-ago quarter. Consequently, operating loss of $3.0 billion increased drastically from $114 million in the year-ago quarter. On a GAAP basis, AIG reported a net loss of $4.1 billion or $2.16 per share as compared with $2.5 billion or $18.53 per share in the year-ago quarter. The reported quarter included net realized capital loss of $112 million against $33 million in the year-ago quarter, along with loss from divested operations of $1.0 million against gain of $4 million in the prior-year period. Additionally, net loss from discontinued operations was recorded at $221 million versus ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/06/aig-american-international-group-loss-soars-on-weak-dynamics/86539/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(WRB) W. R. Berkley Enhances Shareholder Value</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/06/wrb-w-r-berkley-enhances-shareholder-value/86597</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/06/wrb-w-r-berkley-enhances-shareholder-value/86597#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 06 Nov 2011 19:54:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ALL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Allstate Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Chubb Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Travelers Companies Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TRV]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[W.R. Berkley Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Westar Energy Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WRB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[XL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[XL Capital Limited]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=86597</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On November 3, 2011, property and casualty insurer W. R. Berkley Corp. (WRB) announced that its Board has increased its share repurchase authorization to 10 million shares, which translates into approximately 7% of the company’s 144.5 million outstanding shares as of September 30, 2011. The buyback increases a company’s earnings per share by reducing the number of shares outstanding and is also indicative of the fact that the company’s financial position is strong enough to enhance shareholder value. Berkley has been aggressively repurchasing shares. Since 2007, it has bought back about 30% of its outstanding shares. The latest share repurchase authorization marks such a move for the second time so far this year.  The company has taken similar action earlier in May. Berkley has been aggressively buying back shares to support ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/06/wrb-w-r-berkley-enhances-shareholder-value/86597/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(CINF) Cincinnati Financial Reports Quarterly Earnings in Line</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/10/31/cinf-cincinnati-financial-reports-quarterly-earnings-in-line/86152</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/10/31/cinf-cincinnati-financial-reports-quarterly-earnings-in-line/86152#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:47:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CINF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cinnati Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Selective Insurance Group Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SIGI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Chubb Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Travelers Companies Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TRV]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=86152</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Cincinnati Financial Corp. (CINF) has reported third quarter 2011 operating earnings of 13 cents per share, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate, but down 62% year over year. Year-over-year earnings declined due to high catastrophe incidence during the quarter. Revenue for the quarter stood at $944, down 12% year over year. After-tax investment income upped a modest 1.0% year over year to $98 million. This growth was driven largely by dividend-paying stocks in the investment portfolio, partly mitigated by the current low-interest rate environment. Total benefits and expenses increased 9.8% year over year to $933 million led by higher insurance losses and underwriting expense. Segment Results The Commercial Lines Insurance segment recorded earned premium of $557 million, up 2% from the prior-year quarter, reflecting growth in both renewal and ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/10/31/cinf-cincinnati-financial-reports-quarterly-earnings-in-line/86152/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(PRE) PartnerRe Analyst Maintains Neutral Rating</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/10/18/pre-partnerre-analyst-maintains-neutral-rating/85265</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/10/18/pre-partnerre-analyst-maintains-neutral-rating/85265#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:10:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CAT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Caterpillar Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Everest Re Group Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PartnerRe Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PRE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[W.R. Berkley Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Westar Energy Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WRB]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=85265</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We have reiterated our Neutral recommendation on PartnerRe Ltd. (PRE) based on the recent catastrophe (CAT) losses that have severely dampened the bottom line, partially offset by a risk-free balance sheet and a fair amount of liquidity. PartnerRe’s second quarter operating earnings per share of 98 cents came in significantly higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 68 cents, but lagged behind $1.80 recorded in the year-ago quarter. Results deteriorated year over year on the back of higher CAT losses, declining premiums written, poor underwriting results and lower investment income driven by low reinvestment rates, which thereby led to tepid top line and book value growth. To achieve effective and efficient capital allocation, PartnerRe focuses on operating ROE. Despite reducing the share count through a series of share buybacks and ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(CINF) Cincinnati Financial Reiterated at Underperform</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/10/17/cinf-cincinnati-financial-reiterated-at-underperform/85060</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/10/17/cinf-cincinnati-financial-reiterated-at-underperform/85060#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CINF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cinnati Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Selective Insurance Group Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SIGI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Chubb Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Travelers Companies Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TRV]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=85060</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We are maintaining our Underperform rating on Cincinnati Financial Corp. (CINF), as we believe that a weak economy, low investment yield and bad weather will weaken its return on equity. Cincinnati Financial recently predicted cat losses of $88-98 million after suffering a weather-related loss of $290 million in the second quarter, which led to an operating loss of 57 cents per share. Top-line growth at Cincinnati Financial has been sluggish for the past several years due to weak markets and economic pressures. The lingering effects of soft insurance market pricing are expected to impact growth rates and earned premium levels in 2011 and possibly beyond, depending on insurance market conditions. These conditions continue to weaken loss ratios and hamper near-term profitability. Commercial Lines, which accounted for 73% of 2010 net ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(MRH) Montpelier Estimates Catastrophe Loss</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/10/17/mrh-montpelier-estimates-catastrophe-loss/85119</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/10/17/mrh-montpelier-estimates-catastrophe-loss/85119#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:54:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIZ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Assurant Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CINF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cinnati Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Montpelier Re Holdings Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MRH]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Chubb Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tower Group Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TWGP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[W.R. Berkley Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Westar Energy Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WRB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[XL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[XL Capital Limited]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=85119</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Montpelier Re Holdings Ltd. (MRH) expects a third quarter preliminary net loss of $30 million from US catastrophes including Hurricane Irene and the Texas wildfires, $20 million from US regional aggregate covers and $10 million from the July Danish floods. Montpelier also expects to incur a loss of$10 million from the June 2011 New Zealand earthquake. The second quarter also suffered due to catastrophe losses, resulting from tornado activity in the United States in April and May. Montpelier’s second quarter operating earnings of 8 cents per share were much lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate largely due to catastrophe losses, lower investment income and higher operating expenses. Underwriting loss in second-quarter 2011 totaled $3.8 million, comparing unfavorably with the year-ago quarter&#8217;s profit of $59.5 million. Combined ratio in the quarter ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>(CINF) Cincinnati Financial Estimates Catastrophe Loss</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/10/13/cinf-cincinnati-financial-estimates-catastrophe-loss/85003</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/10/13/cinf-cincinnati-financial-estimates-catastrophe-loss/85003#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:32:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIZ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Assurant Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CINF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cinnati Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Chubb Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tower Group Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TWGP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[W.R. Berkley Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Westar Energy Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WRB]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=85003</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yesterday, property and casualty insurer Cincinnati Financial Corp. (CINF) declared a preliminary pre-tax catastrophe loss (cat loss) estimate of about $88–$98 million, which will be reflected in its third quarter 2011 results.  The losses mainly emanated from Hurricane Irene and other catastrophes. The Cincinnati, Ohio-based company stated that catastrophes affected its loss ratio by an average of 4.9 % for the third quarter and 4.4% on a full-year basis over the past decade. However, the impact of the recent catastrophe on the third quarter loss ratio will be approximately 11.5% to 12.5%, significantly higher than the historical average. In the previous quarter, Cincinnati incurred huge storm losses of $290 million and reported an operating loss of 57 cents per share, which was, however, narrower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(ALL) Allstate Aquires Esurance and Answer Financial from White Mountains Insurance Group</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/10/13/all-allstate-aquires-esurance-and-answer-financial-from-white-mountains-insurance-group/85007</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/10/13/all-allstate-aquires-esurance-and-answer-financial-from-white-mountains-insurance-group/85007#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:32:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ALL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Allstate Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Berkshire Hathaway]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRKB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PGR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PRA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ProAssurance Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Progressive Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Travelers Companies Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TRV]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[White Mountains Insurance Group Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WTM]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=85007</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On Friday, Allstate Corp. (ALL) announced the completion of the acquisition of Esurance and Answer Financial from White Mountains Insurance Group Ltd. (WTM) for $1.0 billion. This marks the next biggest acquisition for the company since 1999, when it bought American Heritage Life Investment Corp., a life insurance company specializing in the workplace, for $1.1 billion. The impact of the acquisition on earnings is expected to be break-even by the second full year of ownership and accretive thereafter. While Answer Financial was acquired by Esurance three years ago, Esurance was acquired by White Mountains in 2009. Esurance is the third largest online auto insurer that has more than doubled its policies-in-force and grown premiums on an average of 20% per year over the last five years. Meanwhile, Answer Financial is ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>(WRB) W.R. Berkley Corp.- Bear of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/10/05/wrb-w-r-berkley-corp-bear-of-the-day/84530</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/10/05/wrb-w-r-berkley-corp-bear-of-the-day/84530#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:13:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[W.R. Berkley Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Westar Energy Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WRB]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=84530</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We are downgrading our recommendation on W.R. Berkley Corp. (WRB) to Underperform from Neutral, reflecting slightly lower investment yield assumptions and modestly higher loss ratio forecasts which would eat into underwriting margins. Berkley has been hurt by soft pricing conditions and increasing competition. The trend of loss claims shows a divergence from declining losses over the past several years. An increase in claim costs will offset the premium rate improvement seen lately, thus pressurizing underwriting margins. Our six-month target price of $27.00 per share equates to about 10.6x our earnings estimate for 2011. Combined with the $0.32 per share annual dividend, this target price implies an expected negative return of 8.2% over that period. BERKLEY (WR) CP (WRB): Free Stock Analysis Report Zacks Investment Research]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>(MRH) Montpelier Re Holdings Unit Sees Rating Action on MUSIC</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/24/mrh-montpelier-re-holdings-unit-sees-rating-action-on-music/83934</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/24/mrh-montpelier-re-holdings-unit-sees-rating-action-on-music/83934#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 24 Sep 2011 19:00:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Flagstone Reinsurance Holdings Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FSR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Montpelier Re Holdings Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MRH]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RenaissanceRe Holdings Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RNR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Selective Insurance Group Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SIGI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Validus Holdings Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[VR]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=83934</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Following the announcement of Montpelier Re U.S. Holdings Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of  Montpelier Re Holdings Ltd. (MRH), to divest Montpelier US Insurance Company (MUSIC), A.M. Best Co. has put the financial strength rating (FSR) of A- (Excellent) and issuer credit rating (ICR) of “a-” of MUSIC under review with positive implications. Earlier, in May, the credit rating agency had revised the outlook to positive from stable. Recently Montpelier agreed to sell MUSIC, the company’s U.S. excess and surplus lines insurance business to Selective Insurance Group Inc. (SIGI)for a total consideration of $55 million with the transaction expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2011 pending regulatory approvals. Following the closure of the transaction, MUSIC will be added to Selective’s portfolio. Earlier in May, the credit rating agency had ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>(FSR) Humana Rating Affirmed By A.M. Best</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/22/fsr-humana-rating-affirmed-by-a-m-best/83879</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/22/fsr-humana-rating-affirmed-by-a-m-best/83879#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Sep 2011 19:06:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AET]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aetna Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CIGNA Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Flagstone Reinsurance Holdings Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FSR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HUM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Humana Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UNH]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Unitedhealth Group Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WellPoint Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WLP]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=83879</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The rating agency A.M.Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength ratings (FSR) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of the health insurer Humana Inc. (HUM) and conferred a debt rating of “bbb” to the company. All the ratings carry a stable outlook, indicating the company’s stable financial and market trends, and a likelihood that the company&#8217;s rating would change over an intermediate period. However, A.M. Best’s rating action reflects a combination of positive and negative factors. The agency views positively Humana’s efforts of maintaining its revenue growth and developing its Medicare Advantage membership base. A modest leverage (18.0% at the end of June 30, 2011) relative to its other peers  such as UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH), CIGNA Inc. (CI), Aetna Inc. (AET), WellPoint Inc. (WLP), along with sufficient capital flexibility, ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>(AMSF) Amerisafe Incorporated &#8211; Bear of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/20/amsf-amerisafe-incorporated-bear-of-the-day-5/83319</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/20/amsf-amerisafe-incorporated-bear-of-the-day-5/83319#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:11:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Amerisafe Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AMSF]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=83319</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Amerisafe, Inc.&#8217;s (AMSF) second-quarter earnings lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate substantially, due to high underwriting loss and reduced investment income coupled with higher expenses, which significantly deteriorated the combined ratio, operating cash flow and ROE. The top-line growth was only cushioned by higher premiums written and earned as other revenue sources failed to showcase growth. Though the pricing environment has witnessed some improvement, the company is expected to face uncertainty for the next few quarters as the market weakness continues to hurt payrolls. Our six-month target price of $18.00 per share equates to about 14.6x our earnings estimate for 2011. With no dividend supplement, this target price implies a total expected negative return of 7.8% over that period, which is consistent with our Underperform recommendation. AMERISAFE INC (AMSF): Free Stock ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BRKA) Berkshire Hathaway Closes Lubrizol Acquisition</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/20/brka-berkshire-hathaway-closes-lubrizol-acquisition/83551</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/20/brka-berkshire-hathaway-closes-lubrizol-acquisition/83551#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:53:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Berkshire Hathaway]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRKA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRKB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DOW]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General Electric Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goldman Sachs Group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Dow Chemical Company]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=83551</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRKA) (BRKB) has completed the timely acquisition of The Lubrizol Corp., a chemical company headquartered in Ohio. The acquisition will cost the company $9.7 billion, at $135 per share. The purchase consideration includes $0.7 billion of the acquired company’s debt. Post-acquisition, Berkshire will continue with its headquarters at Wickliffe, Ohio, and will be led by the current management. CEO Warren Buffett has always managed Berkshire’s diverse range of 80 businesses in a manner that requires operating decisions for the various businesses to be made by managers of the respective business units. Lucrative Lubrizol Lubrizol is a company which perfectly meets all the criteria that Buffett looks for in an acquisition. It particularly appeared attractive to him because of its consistent long-term earnings growth, a diverse product range and ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/20/brka-berkshire-hathaway-closes-lubrizol-acquisition/83551/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(HIG) Hartford Financial Services Group Records High Third Quarter CAT Loss</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/20/hig-hartford-financial-services-group-records-high-third-quarter-cat-loss/83126</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/20/hig-hartford-financial-services-group-records-high-third-quarter-cat-loss/83126#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:51:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American International Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CAT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Caterpillar Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hartford Financial Services Group Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MET]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MetLife Inc.]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=83126</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yesterday, Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. (HIG) announced that the devastation caused by Hurricane Irene will lead to substantially high catastrophe (CAT) losses in the third quarter of 2011. The pre-tax catastrophe losses for July and August are expected to be within the range of $150–$250 million. Irene would account for about $75–$175 million. The projected catastrophe loss in the third quarter 2011 will be significantly higher than the year-ago quarter’s loss of $13 million as there were no hurricanes or other major natural calamities in the prior-year quarter. Hartford had also reported considerably high catastrophe losses of $290 million in the second quarter of 2011 due to the tornadoes in April and May. As a result, the company had reported second quarter 2011 core earnings of only $12.0 million ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/20/hig-hartford-financial-services-group-records-high-third-quarter-cat-loss/83126/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>(RNR) RenaissanceRe Holdings Analyst Maintains Neutral on Shares</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/19/rnr-renaissancere-holdings-analyst-maintains-neutral-on-shares/83510</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/19/rnr-renaissancere-holdings-analyst-maintains-neutral-on-shares/83510#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Sep 2011 20:23:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Property & Casualty Insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ACE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ACE Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RenaissanceRe Holdings Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RNR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[XL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[XL Capital Limited]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=83510</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We reiterated our ‘Neutral’ recommendation on RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. (RNR) based on the company’s earning prospects and the increasing challenges it faces in its investment portfolio. RenaissanceRe reported a second quarter operating loss of 21 cents per share, as opposed to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of operating earnings of $1.64, showing a sharp decline from operating earnings of $2.40 per share reported in the year-ago quarter. Net income plunged 88.2% to $24.8 million from $210.2 million in the prior-year quarter. Results deteriorated primarily due to high losses arising as a consequence of U.S. tornadoes. Premiums, particularly from the reinsurance business, improved, reflecting improving market conditions, but the huge catastrophe loss more than offset the improvement. On the positive side, RenaissanceRe has a strong capital position. The company has a limited ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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